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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Aidan McCartney

Former Nottingham Forest star's explosive Manchester United exit details revealed

Former Nottingham Forest man Roy Keane has enjoyed his fair share of controversy during his playing and coaching career.

Keane left his role at the City Ground earlier this summer having spent five months at his former club working alongside Martin O’Neill.

The 48-year-old has now been opening up on one of the most controversial moments of his career - his acrimonious departure from Manchester United 14 years on.

Keane left Old Trafford in 2005 with the midfielder previously explaining that a training ground bust-up with Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz made the departure inevitable.

An infamous interview with MUFC as Keane slammed a number of his United team-mates after their 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough was seen as the final straw but it seems his strained relationship with Queiroz also contributed.

His former team-mate Gary Neville has explained how the issue came to a head during a players' meeting in Ferguson's office.

"I'd seen this happen to David Beckham over a period of six to eight months at United," explained Neville to Off The Ball. "With Roy and the manager, there was always a chance that it would come to this.

"The manager came down into the dressing room and the minute he said we needed to watch the video, I just thought that's it.

"I knew Roy, I knew the manager and I just thought that was it."

Queiroz was one of the people in the office and Neville admits that he knew that is over for Keane.

"There were things that were said in that room," said Neville. "A moment where you spoke to Carlos ... and there was just no way this was going to carry on.

"That meeting was horrific when we watched the video. It's not funny, honestly, it was horrific.

"For lads in the dressing room who were at the club 10, 15 years, to see this happening was horrific.

"You couldn't say anything, you were just thinking, 'for f***'s sake you knew that was it."

Keane was on hand to also speak about his departure and it seems that doesn't think that the MUTV interview was the turning point.

He explained: "I remember we were all walking up to watch the video and I was thinking we need to watch this because it wasn't true what I'm supposed to have said.

"I was supposed to be talking about players' wages, but I had no interest in other people's wages. That was none of my business.

"I think Manchester United was giving that stuff out, [and] when we watched it, it was OK.

"I didn't think for one minute I was out of order. Then the manager put it to all the players there in his office and asked if anyone had a problem.

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